2008 Press Releases

Ambassador Perry reaches out to the Provinces (2 June 08)

Freetown
June 2, 2008
Contact: APAO Lindsay Kennedy
Tel: 515-280

On Thursday, May 29, Ambassador Perry, along with members of her embassy, toured Port Loko and Bombali District visiting two schools to meet with pupils benefiting from the Ambassador's Girls Scholarship Program (AGSP), a program funded and managed by USAID.  She also met with officials of the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) and key political leaders in the Northern Province.

In Magbontoso, Port Loko District, Ambassador Perry visited the Church of God of Prophecy Primary School and was able to meet with teachers and students benefiting from the Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program (AGSP).  The AGSP supports 42 students in Magbontoso by providing tuition, uniforms, books and other school supplies.

In Pate Bana Masimbo, Ambassador Perry visited the Bombali District Education Committee School, where 40 students are sponsored by the Ambassador’s Girls Scholarship Program.  The US Embassy in Freetown was able to increase the total number of beneficiaries throughout Sierra Leone this academic year, from 3,000 in 2004/2005 to 4,000 in 2007/2008.  At both schools, Ambassador Perry donated boxes of assorted books and clothes, and presented copies of the “Autobiography of Frederick Douglass” and “Little Women” to impress on the students the importance and benefit of obtaining a good education.

Ambassador Perry also met with the Resident Minister of the Northern Region, Honorable Alie D. Kamara, and many other District and Chiefdom Officials in Makeni.  The Minister of Works, John Saad, was also present.  Ambassador Perry enjoyed the warm reception, which included President Koroma’s mother, and listened to Minister Kamara and the other representatives who cited the need for further development and support in the North.  The Ambassador presented the Resident Minister an American photo journal book, “America 24/7” and expressed how it pictorially reflects America’s great diversity.  She also distributed a photo journal of Sierra Leone’s historical Paramount Chiefs to the attending group.

While in Makeni, Ambassador Perry was also able to visit the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) Regional Office.  She met with the District Political Code of Conduct Monitoring Committee and several female candidates for the forthcoming Local Government elections (5 July) and heard a testimony from a female candidate from Koinadugu District, the only district in Sierra Leone without a female local government representative for the past four years. Ambassador Perry applauded the efforts of organizations like the PPRC during last year’s National Elections, and encouraged the group to maintain their fairness and effectiveness during the upcoming Local Government Elections.  She also stressed the importance of including women in the electoral process through outreach and education, and wished all the candidates good luck.

Ambassador Perry's tour emphasized her strong commitment to promoting gender equity in Sierra Leone.